Apartment Complex to Get Slalom Ski Slope

By Sylvie Greil

Heliskiing. Extreme skiing. Been there, done that. Shredding down the top of an apartment complex in Kazakhstan? Now we’re talking.

Plans are in the works for House Slalom, an apartment complex of 421 units in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which would boast a 1,000-foot slalom ski run. The track is accessed via a separate entrance and panoramic glass elevators. Skiing and snowboarding will be possible year-round, not just during Kazakhstan’s harsh winters, thanks to a layer of artificial snow called “Snowflex.” The piste would also be lit up and available for night skiing. Apres-ski, people can retreat to their one- or-two-bedroom apartments.

According to Shokhan Mataibekov, leading architect and CEO of Shokhan Mataibekov Architects, “the use of a residential complex’s roof as a renewable land resource is a relevant approach to the international “green” program” – thus there’s a sustainability component to this novelty construction. But his inspiration came from the fact that in in one of the coldest cities in the world, there is only steppe and no ski slope nearby.

The 21-story residential complex itself has a closed configuration with an inner courtyard that “serves as shelter from the wind.” There would also be shops. Plans for House Slalom, which Mataibekov estimates would cost $70 million, await approval by officials. Meanwhile the concept isn’t as offbeat as one would think. After all, the design was shortlisted at this year’s World Architecture Festival Awards.